Plymouth’s dental school ‘best in UK’ for teaching quality

100% of students on the BDS (Hons) Bachelor of Dental Surgery programme said that they were ‘satisfied overall with the quality of the course’ in the 2018 National Student Survey (NSS) – putting it joint first out of 16 dental schools in the UK.  

In addition, 100 per cent of Plymouth’s dental students said the course was intellectually stimulating, 100% agreed they felt part of a community of staff and students, and 100 per cent agreed that the library resources (such as books, online services and learning spaces) had supported their learning well.

Run annually, the NSS is an anonymous survey that gathers opinions from students about their undergraduate experience, asking them to provide honest feedback on what it has been like to study on their course at their institution. 

The survey is designed to help prospective students decide what to study and where, as well as help institutions themselves shape their courses for future students.

Professor Christopher Tredwin, Head of Peninsula Dental School, said: “We are incredibly proud of everyone within the school, students and staff alike, as this year’s National Student Survey results show we’re all working together brilliantly to help prepare the next generation of dentists.

“Having such positive responses and a high response rate shows how we are continually engaging with our students, as well as working alongside them to ensure they get the best learning experience possible.”

The University of Plymouth welcomed its first dentistry students in 2007, and uses a pioneering primary care model focused on developing students’ sense of social awareness on top of their clinical expertise.

In addition to its main multiple-choice questions, the NSS provides an opportunity for students to share feedback. Among the comments received for Peninsula Dental School in 2018 were:

“Studying Dentistry with Peninsula Dental School has been a privilege. The school have supported our every need and work tirelessly to ensure that the course will prepare us for the professional world of dentistry. I am indebted to them and feel very proud to be associated with them. Thank you for everything!”

“The staff really show us tremendous respect and treat us as colleagues. They have our best interests at heart and have gone out of their way to facilitate my development over the course. I am extremely grateful for all the opportunities to enhance my clinical experience and ‘soft skills’.”

“Clinical experience from Year 1 has been invaluable and building my confidence for life after University. I feel that all of the staff in the dental school have a genuine interest in every single one of the students and we have a very good rapport. I feel I have been well supported throughout and have been pushed to work to my best ability. I feel fully prepared for my career that lies ahead.”

The dental school’s results come at the same time as those of Peninsula Medical School at the University of Plymouth, which finished in the top two out of medical schools offering primary medical qualifications in the UK, with 98% of students satisfied overall with the quality of the course.